Fishing apparatus



`Fuly 3, 1956 F. c. A. I IND 2,752,717

FISHING APPARATUS Filed March 22, 1952 mulli nited rates FESHNGAPPARATUS Application March 22, 1952, Serial No. 278,058

3 Claims. (Cl. 43-20) This invention relates to lishing apparatus andmore particularly to an improved type of free-stripping reel.

It is a general object of this invention to furnish simple and eicientequipment which will facilitate the art of shing for both the novice andthe expert, making more effective the lures which are commonly used.

It is another object of this invention to provide for a iishing reelwhich will operate in an easily controlled manner to handle the baitduring the casting and retrieving operation so as to lure fish with aminmum of effort and skill on the iishermans part.

It is a further object of the invention to provide for a. free-strippingtype of iishing reel which will impart Smau smoothly and normally so asto simulate the activity of live bait in free circumstance.

It is a further object to provide for a free-stripping type of reel inwhich the spool may be utilized for winding up or retrieving of the shline but which may be shifted to a new position for endwise unwindingduring casting independently of rotation of the spool while maintainingthe reel crank conveniently in substantially the same plane ofoperation.

It is another object of the invention to provide for a hand e griparrangement in a spinning or free-stripping for an improved type ofspinning reel in which the crank handle need be simply moved but througha small distance in substantially the same plane to condition the reeleither for reeling in or for strip-casting.

These and other objects and advantages of my inven throughout theseveral views and in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of my reel with a portion of the housing cutaway to show the spool in winding or retrieving position and the rodproper shown only in part;

Fig. 2 is a similar side elevation of my reel with portions thereofbroken away to show the position of the handles and spool during thespinning or strip-casting position;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a portion of my reel taken on thelines 3-3 of Fig. Zwith portions thereof broken away and some parts infull;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the spool arrangement with the forward part ofthe reel housing removed and looking in the direction of the arrows 4-4of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed segment of the gearing and brakearrangement taken in the direction of the arrows 5-5 in Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, my invention comprises ahandle and housing member desigrial for lightness or may otherwise bemanufactured of suitable light and strong material. The forward handlewithout obstruction.

Internally of the space defined by the enlarged shell 16 and across thesides thereof is mounted a to rock through a Ztl as will be presentlywithin the yoke 18 is llatented July 3, 1956 The reargportionrof my..

a11'..0pening.44y in yolk 18-.is.a shaft-45. Thefiinnenend `l0 of..shaft l.45.; extends .withinthe space` 21 and has attached ftheretatbeveled. drive gear 46.. This. gear. is; adapted to.,gcooperateA.withgheveled .gear 29.'.to.J drive the: shattrzz. and the spool .33..At theinner face. ofzbeveled1geanz46 and..peripherallyA disposedi are;ratchetteeth: 47.' which; in` 15 turn.A coact withA ,theflatch- 30.. to4prevent counterclockwise rotation; of: shaft 45l when. viewed. in thedirectionv of. Fig,.1or 2. The outer. endroffshaft 45. extendsthrough.atslottedropening. Llformed ina:` flattened. portion 49 formed. atlthea` outer securedrtotheshaft 451by suchmeans asnutc and a detent 5.7is mounted ,upon thev shaft 4iso as'tobe inter posed between -the flatsurface. 49` and; the-.handle 5S.

A-.compressionspring A58lmaintainsthe;detent.57 in pressingjengagement.withthe.surfacl=.,.49.l The: slot 48 formsl generally a.90 arcand.terminates.at.its.upper portion in an. enlarged. openinglfrasgviewed.inz Fig. v2. The detent 57 may thus slide upon the face;49.of1theeshell1.6.rwhen moving. the shaft .45. upwardly but after the shaft.has..beenmoved to its.uppermostpositiorrl thev detent57. willengage the enlargedopening59- andretain thehandle -in itsuppermost position..

Inftheoperation of. my strip-.casting .reelthe bait-(not shown). securedto. the end.of line.13 fis adjacent thev tipof -rod'R (not shown). The.casting movementJ is that.normally employed by fishermen. Thevcastingposition of the. reel is,that shownin Fig..2, namelywiththe,axis .of shaft 26-aligned'generally withthelengthwise disposition.ofthehandle and rod.. With the casting movement. the bait. and line 13strip from vthe reel without 40 turning the spool 33, the line. merelywhipping off the spool irl-engagement with .the taperedinner surface.of-they opening 11. When the bait has .reachedits forward de`- siredposition, the fisherman mayrthumbthe line 13 and prevent further.stripping. When ,he desires to` reel lin the-l bait he grasps the.handle SS initsf. position shown in Fig2..and..begi ns to rotate it.in.a4clockwise direction simultaneously therewith raisingthe, shaft 45. Whenthe` shaft45 reaches its uppermost position the detentt57 en'- gagestheopening 59. thereby lockngthe supporting structure in an upperposition vwiththe sp.ool:33 disposed'down- Wardly as shown` inl-Sig. 1.Continued clockwise rota'- tion ofthe vcrank155=winds thelinelltthroughrecesstA in .rim ..61 forwardly extending from. yoke 18- and coilsysurfaceof shell 16;. A crank S5 is 20 it `upon the winding-.surfacelofspooln4 It lwillheA 55 noted, however, that .the normaLsrnoothand-steady winding ofthe .crank 55,. which imparts asteady rotation tothe. spool33, will, becanseof the. varying radius at thetangentiaLlineposition on. the, windingr` surface 40, cause a .rapidfluttering orA jerking .motionito'theline 13 as it is beingretrieved.This motion is. designed to imparta lifelike motion to bait attachedtothe. lineiwhich will similateihenatural activity of live bait whenminfree'- circumstance.` During this winding-inoperation, .theflatch3.0.*will be disengaged from theteeth 47. andwilll move to the dottedline position shown in Fig, 5 where iit will bestopped'by the insidewall of space Z1 and Iwill remainA inthis position until the shaftv 26rotatesin a reverse. direction. When the line 13 is pulled;out,ias.whena islfstrikes thebait, the reverse` directionof; the. shaft. 26..Willimmediately throw the latchy otlintov engagement with .one of theratchetteeth. 47- and any 1 further outward play ofline 13 willnecessarilybeagainstA the brake. friction of. the spo.ol.33.asy determined. byA thesetting ofithumbnut rotation of .38. Sincezthe tension: is automati-kcally accounted for a much lighter weight of line can be employed. Fishweighing as much as thirty pounds have been caught and played4 upon myapparatus with a monolm plastic type line having no greater breakingstrength than six pounds.

When the line is retrieved for the purpose of casting, the spool, whoseaxis has beenitransverse to the longitudinal disposition .of the rod.and reel as in Fig. l, will be shifted to casting positionl as in Fig.'2 by the simple expedient of1retracting-detent. 57 from opening,59.andsliding the shaft 45-to`the position. shown in Fig.. 2.. It will be.notedthat the handle 55whether in uppermost position shown in Fig4 l or`thelowerrnostposition shown in Fig. 2, willi-still remain insubstantially the same plane of operation and will have moved throughsuch short distance as not to render the mechanism and use thereofcumbersome. My Varying radius spool 33 is; peculiarly adapted totheformoffstripecastingxreel here disclosed..v I have :attempted A'on.occasionttm devise( asimilar. arrangement: onva reel: of ordinaryconstruction which visadapted to unwind. in. the .winding operation.

An eccentric spoollinsuch cases:

will accentuate the backlashproblern.which.I have:elimi-.-

natedy in. my strip-casting; reelI and furthermore; renders thespoolrincapable` of thumbing, as will bey evident. to:.` fishermen:acquainted. withcastingA reels.A Sincefthumh-.r ing, or the .frictionalrmanipulation ofr. theI spool Landline# by means of the users thumb, isfessentialatotgoodtcastingwith the. conventionalttype reel it willtbe'appreciated that .theause of such; non-cylindrical or .varyingn Sinceradius; spool is. limited to my type ofdevice..

the line is thrown outwardlyby-centrrfugal. forcer-assit:

stripswfrom thereel, thereV is noidrag upon the linefas'v it .unwindsandthis is trueeven. thoughythe forward ange,v or rib 43' is. irregular.rather than'circular. I find s much f more: suitable :to i use: a,braided liner-since twistingr which-:- occurs during casting, isimmediately' compensatedfon.

forward. Any residualtwisn'ng that .monolm plastic line is. in .myvdevice, .than

as .thevline is being cast will be further neutralized as the line-isbeing yreeled-.in In any.. event, there can.be no accumulative twistingwhichnnight' resultin. snarling Aand backlashing as, in: the. case ofbraided line since..the resilientinaturerof the.- monolmline. tends tocompensate eachtime thelinepis cast out.

It will,.ofcourse,be understood thatvariouschangesr. may'.A be. made'in, the form, details,-y arrangements and proportions.v of the partslwithout.departing.;from;tthef scopefof my invention.

What lclaim. is:

1. A strip-casting reel comprising-la handlevandlhouseA ingLmernberzhavingI at: the forward portion, thereof'fa diminished tubularopeningterminating.r in f an orice :tot

constitute. aline guide,.and tof-the.' rear of saiditubularf` opening.a1 housing shell defninga space j communicating with said tubularyopening,a,supportingstructure-dise posed yin said spaceacross thehousing for rocking movement.through za'- 90? are. fromiaztirst`positiomto a second: position, windingmeans: rotatablyf mounted.. upon:.said` supporting structure and having the axis thereof normahv to that,of the supporting: structure,- and.V a .crankzhaving a handle, ayradialiarm .and-xashaft.` rotatablyrmounted upon fthe, supportingvstructure,` saidyshaft being spaoed from the axis of said supportingstructure andesaid; handle and radial-armnprotrudingz operably;from-:said housing shellfor 4'driving connection.with.said windngameans, the plane of rotation ofthezradialI arm ofsaid' crankremainingsubstan allyvthe .same with respectvl to saidrhousingzmemberAinhoth said first andssaidsecond* positions;

2; A' strip-casting reel comprising :a handle and housingc member."having; at .ther forward portion thereoffr a diminished tubular openingterminating in anrori'ceatoa constitute. av line; guide; and: to the:rear of: saidzztuhular opening'a: housingushell iileningafaispace:communicating:

the. reverse manner. from with said tubular opening, said housing shellhaving an arcuate slot lying substantially in a plane parallel to thegeneral longitudinal direction of said handle and housing member, asupporting structure disposed in said space internally of the housingand transverse to the general longitudinal direction of said handle andhousing member for rocking movement through a 90 arc from a rst positionto a second position, Winding means rotatably mounted upon saidsupporting structure and having the axis thereof normal to that of thesupporting structure, and a crank member mounted rotatably upon thesupporting structure and extending outwardly through said arcuate slotfor imparting winding movement to sald winding means, the plane ofrotation of said crank remalning substantially the same with respect tosaid handle and housing member in both said first and said secondpositions.

3. A strip-casting reel comprising a handle and housing member having atthe forward portion thereof a diminished tubular opening terminating inan orice to constitute a line guide, and to the rear of said tubularopening a housing shell defining a space communicating with said tubularopening, said housing shell having disposed through the side thereof anarcuate slot, a supporting structure disposed in said space internallyof the housing and transverse to the general longitudinal direction ofthe handle and housing member for rocking movement through a arc aboutan axis from a rst position to/a second position, said axissubstantially defining the center for said arcuate slot, Winding meansrotatably mounted upon said supporting structure and having the axisthereof normal to that of the supporting structure, and a crank mountedupon the supporting structure and extending outwardly through thearcuate slot for imparting winding movement to said Winding means, saidcrank being shiftable in said arcuate slot for moving the supportingstructure from said first position to the second position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,572,104 Budd Feb. 9, 1926 2,299,156 Lind Oct. 20, 1942 2,402,882 GarrJune 25, 1946 2,425,492 Severson Aug. l2, 1947 2,504,550 Letzkus Apr.18, 1950 2,512,170 Oen June 20, 1950 2,521,543 Shakespeare et al. Sept.5, 1950 2,549,029 Stalder Apr. 17, 1951 2,551,320 Ferguson May 1, 19512,559,215 Funk July 3, 1951 2,634,920 Dunn Apr. 14, 1953

